With the advent of comprehensive do-it-yourself stores, people have become interested in aspects of homecare that have heretofore been left to professionals. Yard design and maintenance has taken center stage with an explosion of products which simplify landscape and lawn maintenance.
Among the products available at home improvement centers are lawn and bed edgings. The present state of the art in lawn and bed edgings has been simple plastic, polymer or rubber roll-up edgings which can be pressed or trench-installed around beds and at the edge of lawns. However, roll-up edging brings with it many problems. It is easily forced from the ground by freezing and thawing cycles (“heaving”). Furthermore, the sharpness of the bottom edge (for ease of insertion into the ground) also enables the edging to sink into the ground under the wheels of by landscape maintenance equipment, especially in warm/wet weather. The edging can ultimately become buried or shortened enough such that it no longer functions and is easily overgrown by grass or breached by mulch or other landscape materials. Alternatively, roll-up landscape edging which does not have the sharp edge is difficult to install, generally requiring the preparation of small trenches which must be subsequently refilled upon placement of the edging. Generally, roll-up edging also has difficulty fitting rolling ground or adapting to changes in land grade. Roll-up edging is also highly susceptible to slash damage from lawnmower blades and cracking due to the weathering effects of heat and freezing cycles. As with many plastic and rubber materials, the cracks propagate with time, and ultimately, the edging must be replaced. The use of roll-up edging also interferes with the mowing of grassy areas directly adjacent the edging; the edging stops the mower wheels, preventing the mower blades from reaching the grass abutting the edging. Attempts to ride the mower over the edging often result in mower slashes or creases in the edging and/or gradual submerging of the edging into the ground. Because of the foregoing disadvantages, it is often necessary to resort to “string” trimmers in order to adequately maintain grass directly adjacent to roll-up edging.
A second commonly used landscape edging is concrete curb edging. Such edgings are susceptible to cracks, crumbling and fissures, particularly with exposure to freezing weather or when subjected to pressure from expanding roots. Concrete curbing can cause injury and is not appropriate for all settings, particularly on playgrounds or other areas which see heavy child traffic. Concrete curbing can damage mower blades, and it has the potential to severely injure bystanders if it has crumbled or if it chips or shatters upon coming into contact with an operating mower blade.